Google Chrome: password export and import

Google Chrome users who wanted to export or import passwords had to use experimental features or third-party tools up until now to do so.

Chrome allowed users to import passwords during setup, but Chrome did not offer options to run import or export operations until recently.

The following guide shows how you can import or export passwords using Google Chrome. Note that the methods described require Chrome 66 or newer.

Chrome: how to import passwords

You can run password imports at any time in Chrome if you missed to import passwords from other browsers during setup or want to run the import operation sometime after installation.

You can import passwords from the following web browsers: Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox.

Here is what you need to do:

Load chrome://settings/importData in the Chrome address bar to open the Import bookmarks and settings menu.

Select Mozilla Firefox or Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Make sure "saved passwords" is selected.

Click on the import button to start the process.

Chrome imports passwords from the selected web browser. You can repeat the process for the other browser that is supported.

Tip: If you need to import passwords from a browser that Chrome does not support, check if Firefox or Internet Explorer support importing passwords from that browser. While that prolongs the process, you may use it to get passwords from an unsupported browser into Chrome.

Chrome: how to export passwords

You can export saved passwords starting with Chrome 66. Note that the passwords are saved to a plain text CSV file; anyone with access to the file may read (and use) all passwords listed in the file.

Let me show you how to export passwords in Chrome:

Load chrome://settings/passwords in the browser's address bar.

Click on the menu icon (the three dots) on the Saved Passwords line.

Select Export passwords from the menu that opens.

Activate the "export passwords" button on the warning screen.

Type your Windows username and password for verification.

Select a location to save the password file to.

Old Content

Google Chrome users can import saved passwords from Internet Explorer or Safari, but Google never added an option to the browser to import or export passwords using the browser's UI unti

While Chrome users may use sync to synchronize their passwords to other devices they use Chrome on, users who don't use sync or want to import Chrome passwords into another browser cannot use that functionality.

This leaves browser extensions, and an experimental password import and export option. Google Chrome users could enable the flag up until recently to enable password importing and exporting.

With Google changing Chrome's interfaces and such, that option on its own is no longer functional. While it is still possible to enable the flag, the menu to export or import passwords is not linked anymore anywhere in Chrome.

There is a solution however, and this guide explains how that is done right now.

Old content that is no longer valid. It may still be useful if you run older versions of the Chrome browser.

Update: Google removed the option to export and import passwords directly in Chrome 61. There is no way currently to export Chrome passwords directly using the web browser.

The only three options you have are to either import the passwords using a different web browser, e.g.Firefox. Vivaldi or Opera, use a third-party software like the free Nirsoft application ChromePass, or use a password management extension.

ChromePass lists all passwords of Google Chrome, and comes with an option to export the data.

The final option that you have is to use a password management extension for Chrome. While that won't give you direct access to your data, it means that you get access to your passwords on any device and in any browser the password manager supports. You can check out LastPass for that for instance.

Google Chrome: password export and import

Chrome displays a prompt to restart the web browser. Use it to restart the browser.

The feature works in Chrome for Windows, Linux, Mac and Chrome OS.

Importing or exporting passwords

All that is left to do at this point is to load chrome://settings-frame/passwords. This internal URL is not linked in Chrome, and needs to be loaded directly.

It displays all saved passwords, and options to import or export passwords. If you select export, all passwords stored in Chrome are saved to a CSV file. Note that this file is not encrypted, and that anyone with access may open it to list account information. The import accepts csv files.

One application for this is to transfer the saved passwords to another Chrome installation without using Sync. Many password managers support csv files as well, so that the passwords that are saved in Chrome can be imported so that they become available through the password manager as well.

The fate of the password export and import option of Google Chrome is unknown at this point in time. It is possible that Google is working on introducing the functionality in the material design refresh of Chrome in the future, but also that the company decides to remove the functionality completely from the browser.

Anyway, Chrome users who were wondering whether it is (still) possible to import or export passwords in Chrome, know that it is still possible now.

We will update the guide if things change again. If you noticed a change that we have not yet, let us know please by leaving a comment below, or by using the contact option instead. We appreciate that, thanks! (via Caschy)

Summary

Article Name

Google Chrome: password export and import

Description

The guide provides you with instructions on importing passwords into Google Chrome, and exporting saved Google Chrome passwords.

Author

Martin Brinkmann

Publisher

Ghacks Technology News

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About Martin Brinkmann

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Comments

All this shows just how fragile the stored passwords are. They can be exported from IE, so anyone with machine access can presumably do that… and accessed “from any device at passwords.google.com”. That means from Android devices, not the least likely platform for keyloggers.

ps: after few websites, you are the only one who succeed in this trick. They use chrome://settings/passwords instead of chrome://settings-frame/passwords, and thus it does not show import/export. I suppose maybe it is because of the last(s) chrome updates. Anyway thank you again, good job

Thank you so much. This works for me. FINALLY, I was able to use the IMPORT feature to add usernames to rows where the username was blank, and IMPORT passwords for sites that Chrome simply never prompts to save. Using IMPORT is the only way to directly edit passwords and username in Chrome. I’m not sure why they don’t expose this feature in the UI, but I’m glad there is this workaround. PS exporting is also useful for sorting by password, to see where I need to add some diversity.

Thanks to that I managed to save through Chrome all my password from Edge/Firefox/Chrome on my first PC,and to restore them on my second PC. Great. Not any problem in Import/Export as said above. No problem either to see restores password in ChromePass. This “Password import and export” flag is a must-have :) Thanks

I have accidentally deleted my passwords from Google Account, but I have saved them, but I can not import them again. I have the latest German version of Chrome, everything I find on the internet does not work for me. Also goes with not the command: chrome: // settings-frame / passwords. What do I do now to enter the passwords not tedious again?

Agreed, it appears Google has removed these options w/61 – I don’t like the idea of having my passwords stored in the cloud. Hell, with the hack of Equifax, this should be a flag that Chrome should be determined best my the end user.

Not everyone wants “big brother” thinking for them. I like and want choice. If Google wants to do this for Windows versions of the app – have at it. But for Linux? Isn’t running Linux all about choice anyways?

If Google wants to do this, at least off up for download an archive of older versions so that folks like myself CAN import/export then bump to a newer version.

Chris, I have updated the article to reflect this. It appears that Google removed the option and did not add another to Chrome.

The only options you have right now are to a) import passwords into another browser directly, b) use a browser extension to sync passwords, e.g. LastPass, or c) use ChromePass, a free program for Windows to save passwords in plain text to the local system.

None of this workarounds is working. chrome://settings-frame/passwords ist not available, lastpass does give an export-/import-option and also does not Canary. I need to import the content of an old chrome-passwort-file “login data” and although ChromePass gices access and saves the content in a csv-file I do not find a way to reimport this csv-file into Chrome.

I found another solution after hours of headache and search on forums. I must migrate Windows computer for several users and the usage of Google account for password management is just a none secure solution. Another issue is the usage of Chromepass, very good tool, but demonstrate the lack of security of Google Chrome password.

My solution was to use Chromepass to export the password and use empass (free for desktops) to import the csv. The tools have an Edge and Chrome extension and except to train a bit the user, it’s better secure. We choose the tool because the storage doesn’t use cloud by default. It’s a encrypt file where we could redirect everywhere (profile, local disk or even dropbox, one drive if I need to share). It’s not the best solution but it’s working and we aren’t linked to google chrome anymore … sorry for my English, I m French.. Thanks

Thank you. You saved me hundreds of hours of work. I was going to have to retype 675 websites, usernames, and passwords into 12 separate devices. I still use 2 fingers to type with. Your directions worked perfectly each time. I created 1 cvs file, and then uploaded into each Win 10 machine.

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